Stand Straight Ella Kate

Stand Straight Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant

Author: Kate Klise

Illustrator: M. Sarah Klise

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Copyright 2010

30 Pages

Historical Fiction

            The reason I chose this book is because of the title. Most everyone has heard the saying “stand straight” so I thought this would a book that I could relate to. I was somewhat right and somewhat wrong because this book is about a giant woman. Stand Straight Ella Kate starts with Ella Kate and explains that she was small as a baby just like all the other children. However, when Ella Kate started to grow, she never really stopped. Ella Kate’s mother would have to add fabric to lengthen her dresses and her father had to make a special desk for Ella Kate to use at school. Ella Kate did not have many friends in school because she was so different from all of her friends and she soon became ashamed of her height. Ella Kate grew older she also grew taller and by the time she was seventeen years old she was eight feet tall! Because of her height Ella Kate was offered a job in a museum where she was paid a great deal of money to simply let people look at her! Ella Kate realized that her height allowed her to meet new people and see new places. Soon after, Ella Kate decided to make a career of traveling the world and showing people her amazing height. The book ends with a note from the author about the true story of Ella Kate Ewing and her unusual height.

            The illustrator of Stand Straight Ella Kate used acrylic on Bristol board to complete the illustrations. Most of the illustrations have bright colors that are also have a muted hue with the use of many different blue and green shades. There is very little negative space throughout the book. The illustrations do not have much definition and are very simple. The placement of the text varies from formal to informal.

            Students of any age would enjoy reading Stand Straight Ella Kate. Younger children and older children will be able to relate to Ella Kate and her dreams. Most teachers could implement this book into their classrooms by focusing on how we should always accept others even though they may be different. Teachers could also use this book to introduce the concept of dreaming and being positive about any situation. Overall I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to sharing it with my future students.